The Verge is reporting that the latest version of Windows Phone (8.1) will include a Siri-like voice-aware personal assistant, as well as a Notification Center type pane.

It doesn’t appear that the Notifications pane adds any functionality, it simply tweaks the UI to bring the controls into a single space for easy access.

Courtesy: winbeta.org

The personal assistant is based upon Microsoft’s previously leaked Cortana initiative Cortana is a character from Microsoft’s wildly popular Halo series. While WP currently includes limited voice control, Cortana adds a more conversational style of interaction, similar to Siri and Google Now.

The Verge is also reporting that other tweaks to the OS are ringtone volume controls that are separate from media playback volume controls, Bing Smart Search integration, and VPN capabilities (considered necessary for enterprise use).

It is expected that the fully 8.1 feature set will be rolled out in early 2014.